A Concept of Management

Management is concerned with the function and responsibilities essential to the achievement of
established goals through associated effort.
Management is essential to assure the coordination of individual efforts to accomplish the desired goal.
Coordinated individual efforts may result to team effort clearly shown in the most rudimentary form of team
play. Individuals involved or participating in a softball game have assigned positions. They follow play patterns,
allow someone to call the plays, and follow certain rules and guidelines. Thus, the group adopts the basic
process, principles and techniques of management.
Management is the art and science of helping people use their abilities to the fullest. Managing, like all
other arts (whether music, engineering, baseball, accountancy, etc.) makes us of underlying organized
knowledge—SCIENCE—and applies it in the light of realities to gain desired practical result. In so doing,
practice must design a solution which will work, that is, get the results desired. Art, then, is the “know-how” to
accomplish a desired concrete result (Kootz and O’Donnel, 1976).

The Importance of Management

The following statements point to the importance of manage:

1. Management exists to help people achieve their goals they desire.

2. Management gives direction to the cooperative efforts of many individuals.
3. Management determines in great measure whether an organization is going to progress, operate efficiently,
and achieve objectives.
4. Management determines whether the group of individuals with in its framework are happy, cooperative and
productive.

MANGEMENT FUNCTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

The functions of management and the specific activities included under each are briefly described
below:
1. PLANNING – this refers to the work performed to predetermine a course of action in order to attain results
desired. The specific activities include the following:

Forecasting – to estimate and predict future conditions, anticipate problems and identify new opportunities
Developing Objectives – to determine the results desired or expected out comes.
Programming and Scheduling – to establish the major action steps to achieve the objectives and to
estimate the time sequence necessary for each action step.
Budgeting – to allocate the resources so as to make the most effective use of such resources available.
Developing Procedures – to make use of methods, techniques or strategies that can maximize output.
Developing Policies – to implement the decisions in the form of policies or guidelines to avoid being
repetitive of questions or instructions.

2. ORGANIZING – this refers to the work to arrange and relate the work to be performed effectively by people.
The specific activities are:

Developing organization structure – to establish a sound, logical organizational structure to get things done
efficiently with minimum input and maximized results.
Delegating – to entrust responsibility and authority and to establish accountability so that there is greater
freedom among the members of the group in using initiative and judgement.
Developing relationships - to establish and create the conditions for effective teamwork among the
members of the group who are expected to work cooperatively.
3. LEADING – This refers to the work performed to influence people to act in order to attain the results desired.
The specific activities are:

Decision-making – to make logical, reasoned decisions in carrying out the objectives.

Communicating – to create understanding among all the group members, between groups, and between
the groups and the public.
Motivating – to inspire, encourage, and impel people to take effective action.
Selecting people – to employ individuals who can work effectively together in the same group in order to
maintain a high level of achievement in carrying out their responsibilities.
Developing people performance – to help people to improve their knowledge, attitudes, and skills so they
can make use of their best abilities.

4. CONTROLLING – this refers to the work performed to assess and regulate work in progress and to assess
results secured. The following are the activities:

Developing performance standards – to establish the criteria by which performance and results will be
judged.
Measuring performance – to establish effective means for recording and reporting the work being done and
the results achieved.
Evaluating performance – to establish effective means of assessing the work being done and the results
achieved.
Correcting performance – to ensure the deficiencies are corrected effectively and measures are taken for
continued improvement.